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Brief Synopsis

In 1728, while hunting birds on a Caribbean island, adventurer Dick Lindsay spies notorious pirate Capt. Francis Barclay, his first mate Burford and a sailor burying a treasure chest. Hidden among the brush, Dick watches as the sailor, armed with a shovel, attempts to sneak up on Barclay, then is shot down by the captain. Dick soon is discovered by Barclay and imprisoned on his ship, the Black Panther . Later, in the captain's quarters, Barclay confronts Robert MacAllister, the nephew of the powerful, corrupt Andrew MacAllister, Barclay's former business partner. Barclay, who kidnapped Robert from one of MacAllister's ships, plans to use Robert against his uncle, but after he discovers that Robert is involved in a mutinous scheme, he incarcerates him. The captain then forces Dick into a deal, promising him his freedom if he succeeds in "destroying" MacAllister. Barclay explains that twenty-one years before, MacAllister sold him into slavery, stole his wife and kidnapped his infant daughter Christine, rearing her as his own. Barclay, who for years has been trying to exact revenge, wants Dick to impersonate Robert, ingratiate himself to MacAllister, then destroy all of his ammunition. Although MacAllister has not seen his nephew in twenty years, Robert has a scar on his face from a wound inflicted by his uncle, so Barclay commands his physician to scar Dick in the same spot. Barclay also orders Robert to coach Dick on his personal history and aristocratic manners. As the Black Panther nears MacAllister's island, one of MacAllister's ships, the Shark , is sited and attacked. The victorious Barclay sends Dick off on the Shark's long boat, and after days of drifting, Dick is spotted by MacAllister's men and rescued. Seeing Dick's scar, MacAllister accepts him as his nephew, but is nonetheless disdainful. Later, after Dick tries to stop MacAllister's overseer, Shively, from whipping a female slave, another slave throws a knife at Shively, then is pursued and shot. The hot-tempered Christine rails against Dick for interfering with her slaves and suggests to her father that he be forced to work for Shively. On the way there, Christine, who is actually attracted to Dick, reveals her desire to leave the island and see the world. At Christine's urging, a jealous Shively puts Dick in charge of the family mill and orders him to pedal the mill's wheel himself. Later, when Shively chastises Dick for the mill's low output, Dick, anxious to appear cooperative, agrees to punish the slaves who work for him. In private, Dick reassures the slaves that he is committed to helping them revolt, but urges them to lay low until MacAllister's big auction. Dick, who promised Barclay that he would not tell Christine about her parentage, meets secretly with her at night, but is baffled by her contradictory, sometimes ruthless behavior. Soon after, MacAllister learns that a dead body has washed up on shore and, seeing a scar on its cheek, realizes it is Robert. Although he shares his discovery with a few of his men, MacAllister decides not to expose Dick immediately, as he wants him to keep the slaves happy until he is ready to sell them during his upcoming auction. Dick then saves MacAllister's life when he shoots a knife out of slave Esau's hand as Esau is about to stab MacAllister. Overcome with jealousy, Shively informs Christine about Dick's impersonation, but she refuses to believe him. On the night of the auction, during which MacAllister sells all of his ill-gotten riches to visiting aristocrats, Barclay and the Black Panther wait off-shore for signs that Dick has destroyed MacAllister's ammunition. Dick, however, is waylaid when MacAllister exposes him publicly and commands him to fight Shively to the death. Despite MacAllister's revelation, Christine is still in love with Dick and begs the slaves to help him. While Dick and Shively duel with knives, Quashy, the slaves's leader, knocks out a guard and sets fire to the slave quarters, which in turn ignites MacAllister's explosives. Just as Dick defeats Shively, Barclay sees the fiery explosions and begins his assault on the island. MacAllister's men soon are overwhelmed by swarming pirates and angry slaves. MacAllister retreats to his treasure room, but is found and shot by Barclay. Outraged, Christine shoots Barclay, who with his dying breath, begs Dick not to tell Christine about her father's true identity. Dick pledges to keep the secret, then embraces the grieving Christine.